Weather to Fly
by em.claire473
Summary: 'Pleasure to meet you Miss Malfoy, my name is Tom Riddle.' Join Hermione on a journey of honor, prejudice, and extraordinary circumstance. powerful!Hermione disclaimer: don't own any of HP.


'Papa!' she yelled, charging up the grand staircase, 'Mama, Papa, it came today! It's finally here!' She could hardly contain herself; the crisp envelope held firmly in hand, she ran through the halls, searching excitedly for her parents. She looked into each door she came across, but she could not find them in any area of the large house. Finally, she came across the door at the end of the hallway, her favorite room. This was her family's library, and most days she could be found in the green armchair at the far end underneath the oversized window, reading or studying some sort of text.

This is where she decided to sit after failing to locate her parents. _They'll find me eventually_, she thought, _and besides, I have my letter! _Placing the letter on the table, she studied the wax seal and the intricate crest detailed on the outside. _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_, it said. From her earliest memories on, her parents had been regaling her with tales of the school, and their years of attendance. She carefully broke the seal, taking extra care not to tear the envelope in the process, and pulled out the script inside, skipping the formalities and going straight to the body of the missive.

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September the first. We await your owl by no later than July the thirty-first._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_**Uniform**_

_First year students will require:_

_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags._

_**Course Books**_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following_

_The Standard Book of Spells__ (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic__ by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory__ by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration__ by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi__ by Phylida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions__ by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them__ by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection__ by Quentin Trimble_

_**Other Equipment**_

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_Parents are reminded that first years are __**not**__ allowed their own broomstick._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions_

'So, Diagon Alley this Saturday sound alright, my dear?' The girl, startled, jumped and whipped around quickly to see who it was that had spoken to her. 'Papa!' she exclaimed, and ran towards the man leaning in the doorway. 'I take it you got it today?' he asked; the girl wrapped her small arms around his waist and spoke into his shirt as she hugged him tightly, 'I did, Papa. It is so exciting! I cannot wait to see the castle, and start my classes, and make new friends and get new books and quills and robes and –'

'Sweetheart, breathe. We will go Saturday with your mother and brother to get all of your necessary materials. For now, go wash up, it is time to eat supper. We have a guest tonight, so dress pretty, okay?'

'Of course; I will go get dressed now, then.' She headed out of the library and took a separate hallway, veering towards her bedroom. Opening the door, she was faced with a room she did not recognize. The walls were a pale shade of yellow, and there were more windows than there had been this morning, so a large amount of sunlight was streaming into her room, casting a warm glow about it. In contrast, the furniture was crafted of what looked to be well-crafted rosewood. It was dark, but intricately carved, with miniscule designs covering it. She was not surprised, however, to see that her room had changed. It had been like this for a few years now, and the room seemed to change whenever she had a strong emotional reaction to something. Her father had told her that it was just her magic manifesting itself early ('…quite early, don't you think, dear?' she had heard him say to her mother) but refused to say anything else to her on the matter, choosing instead to hand her the book he had gotten her for her 8th birthday on the basics of transfiguration and send her off to the library.

She decided that she rather liked the new layout of her room and went straight to her closet to find an acceptable outfit for dinner. _I wonder who this 'guest' could be who we're having tonight. I don't like having guests. Usually they just watch me the whole meal, talking about stuff I do not understand with Mama and Papa when they think I am not listening._ She scanned through her wardrobe, finally deciding on a light pink sundress that her mother had bought for her in Paris the week prior. She combed out her hair and pulled it back into a high ponytail so that she wasn't brushing it out of her eyes throughout the course of the meal, as her mother had chastised her for it many times before. Deeming her appearance acceptable, she left her room, making sure the door latched shut before heading down the stairs and into the large dining room; usually the family would use the smaller dining room, but when they had company dinner was always served in the larger of the two.

Her father was talking with a man, but she could not see who it was with the way he was standing. Instead of trying to figure it out, she walked over to her mother and sat next to her at the large table; her mother and father would sit on the two ends of the table, and her brother and she usually sat in the middle of either side remaining, opposite one another. With company, though, she sat next to her mother on one side of the table, next to her brother who sat next to their father, facing the company on the opposite side of the table.

Once her brother had joined the family at the table, their guest sat down and their father gracefully sat in his seat once their guest had been seated. Blue eyes met her own green, and before she saw black, she distinctly heard, 'Pleasure meeting you Miss Malfoy, my name is Tom Riddle.'


End file.
